Chapter 15: Sliding Down the Slope Like a Donkey

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Shuai Bei’s pupils flickered sharply, and Ye Chaoying almost spat out his drink.

“Uh, Shuai Bei, sorry to bother you—this is classmate Zhou; he was in a car accident, so maybe—”

Before Ye Chaoying could finish explaining, Xia Chiyi cut in, “I believe what Zhou Zhexiao said. As long as we make an effort, Ma Wenhua will definitely be replaced!”

“You guys are adorably rebellious. Sorry, I’m not going to play this game with you.”

Just as Shuai Bei stood up, a man in a suit with hair slicked back barged in, excitement written all over his face as he looked at Zhou Zhexiao. “Shuai Bei, is this your classmate? Here to visit your shoot? Wow, he’s so handsome, so charismatic! Look at those features! The lighting is perfect! That body proportion—flawless! He’s definitely cut out for this line of work!”

Clearly, this man was Shuai Bei’s agent. He handed his business card to Zhou Zhexiao. “Classmate, please add me on WeChat!”

Just as Zhou Zhexiao was about to speak, Xia Chiyi quickly covered his mouth. “Don’t say anything yet!”

Zhou Zhexiao tilted his head back slightly; whether it was the reflection from the glass or not, Xia Chiyi’s eyes sparkled brightly as he hummed softly.

Xia Chiyi stood up and said to Shuai Bei, “Bro, look, if we lose the game on Friday, that means Zhou Zhexiao definitely won’t make the school team. In that case, why not agree to this agent’s offer and step into the fashion circle? Shuai Bei, I know you’re insanely cool, but Zhou Zhexiao here is a total catch in the fashion world. If that happens, your gigs will take a huge hit.”

Shuai Bei’s expression was indifferent. “Oh?”

“From now on, whatever jobs you take, Zhou Zhexiao will take the same ones. You two can be competitors—when one finishes, the other takes the stage. Let’s see who lasts longer in this circle!”

“Just him?” Shuai Bei gave a faint smile, the sharp contours of his face exuding natural arrogance.

Xia Chiyi didn’t back down. Meeting Shuai Bei’s gaze, he lifted his chin. “Yeah, just him. Having a friend is better than having an enemy fighting for the same paycheck.”

Though the agent wasn’t sure what was going on, he chimed in, “This classmate has truly exceptional qualities! What can basketball bring? With his looks, entering the entertainment industry won’t be a problem at all!”

“Hear that?”

Even though Xia Chiyi was a bit nervous inside, he smiled with ease.

“So, even for the sake of your modeling career, shouldn’t you help us win the game? Then you can do whatever you want, and Zhou Zhexiao will be busy training, with no time to snatch your spotlight.”

Shuai Bei stared at Xia Chiyi for a full three seconds. “How shameless of you, selling out your own teammate?”

“How is that selling him out? I’m thinking about both of your futures.” Xia Chiyi looked sincere.

Ye Chaoying took a deep breath and suddenly felt Xia Chiyi’s "Marketing" skills must be top-notch.

Shuai Bei snorted coldly and turned to leave. At the café door, he said, “After Friday, I’ll play one match for you. Then, we part ways.”

“Deal!” Xia Chiyi beamed.

Ye Chaoying leaned close and whispered, “I thought we’d have to threaten him—if he doesn’t join us, we’d beat him up so he can’t model or anything... But why did he agree so easily?”

Xia Chiyi replied, “Because he still wants to play basketball. As long as we’re polite and give him a good reason, he’ll back down.”

“Oh.” Ye Chaoying nodded.

On the way back by car, Xia Chiyi gazed quietly out the window, knowing Shuai Bei was right.

Even if they won and secured the starting lineup, as long as Ma Wenhua remained coach, he had the power to substitute them out during the game.

The more Xia Chiyi thought about it, the heavier his heart felt. The glass ceiling above their heads was transparent, the future bright—but sadly, without prospects.

“I want to go online,” Zhou Zhexiao suddenly said.

“Huh? Go ahead,” Xia Chiyi handed over his phone.

But Zhou Zhexiao didn’t take it. “I want to go to an internet café.”

“Are you going to play games? If not, you can do everything on your phone. The 5G network here is great.”

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But Zhou Zhexiao insisted on going to the internet café. “I’m not used to phones.”

“Man, you’ve got to keep up with the times!” Ye Chaoying covered his face.

Xia Chiyi stretched and smiled, “Alright, with Du He and Shuai Bei settled, we deserve a break. Let’s go—team up at the internet café!”

Ye Chaoying led them to an internet café near the school. They sat side by side in a row, but Zhou Zhexiao wasn’t there to game. Instead, he opened a website filled with English letters. Xia Chiyi felt a headache coming on and turned to play games with Ye Chaoying.

After a short while, they were utterly defeated, trading playful insults as usual.

Xia Chiyi glanced sideways at Zhou Zhexiao and nearly spat out his drink.

On Zhou Zhexiao’s screen, a nearly naked character was shaking wildly. Zhou Zhexiao himself furrowed his brow slightly, his right hand gripping the mouse motionless.

Judging by his intense expression, you’d think a ghost was about to crawl out of the screen.

Xia Chiyi propped his chin on his hand, studying Zhou Zhexiao’s face—it was more interesting than the game itself.

He seemed clueless about how to close the pop-up ads.

Perfect, time to tease him.

“Wow—Zhou Zhexiao, you came all the way to the internet café just to look at this?”

Xia Chiyi’s tone was exaggerated and deliberate, eyes wide as he stared at Zhou Zhexiao.

Zhou Zhexiao met his gaze, clearly knowing it was on purpose. The mouse clicked, and he nonchalantly closed the pop-up.

Suddenly, the screen was filled with bouncing water balloons.

“If you want to see it, I’ll show you,” Zhou Zhexiao said flatly.

“No thanks!”

Xia Chiyi quickly leaned over, placing his right hand over Zhou Zhexiao’s to help him find the transparent button on the pop-up. Before anyone else noticed, they clicked it shut.

“I’m done surfing,” Zhou Zhexiao said.

Ye Chaoying nodded. “Okay, let’s go back.”

Just as Xia Chiyi exited the game, the same pop-up appeared in front of him. A sweet, syrupy voice blasted from his headphones, and in a flurry, he knocked his mouse onto the floor.

Immediately, the screen was flooded again with the bouncing images.

Damn it! Stop shaking!

Zhou Zhexiao bent down, casually retrieved the mouse, then put Xia Chiyi’s hand back on it. Mimicking his motion, he pressed lightly on Xia Chiyi’s fingernail, closing the pop-up.

“You came to the internet café just for this?” Xia Chiyi was speechless, outplayed.

Zhou Zhexiao let go of his hand and leaned on the chair's edge, drawing closer. The closer he got, the clearer his amber eyes became, quietly absorbing everything.

Xia Chiyi swallowed hard.

Suddenly, someone nudged Xia Chiyi’s shoulder. Ye Chaoying’s voice came, “Let’s go, we’re practically out of underwear after losing today. Back to the dorm!”

The buzzing in Xia Chiyi’s head stopped abruptly. He touched his ear—it was warm.

Luckily, the internet café lights weren’t too bright. If Zhou Zhexiao asked, “Why are your ears red?” Xia Chiyi might actually hit him... Though it seemed like he wouldn’t win.

A glance back at Zhou Zhexiao showed him acting as if nothing had happened, hands in his pockets as he followed behind.

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On the way to the bus stop, the loudspeaker of a clearance store blared so loudly the entire street could hear.

“The unscrupulous clothing factory boss ran off with the money! We had no choice but to pay wages with clothes! Original price 299 yuan, now all just 29 yuan! 29 yuan—no loss, no deception! Everything must go for 29 yuan!”

Xia Chiyi and Ye Chaoying had reached the bus stop when they suddenly remembered something and turned back, only to find Zhou Zhexiao standing motionless at the clearance store’s entrance.

“What’s going on?” Ye Chaoying tugged at his T-shirt. “This guy’s dressed head to toe in designer brands. Why would he care about 29 yuan clothes?”

Xia Chiyi pinched his cheek. “Maybe… he’s never heard the story of the boss running off with the money and wants to hear it all.”

Ye Chaoying exhaled. “If Zhou Zhexiao hasn’t heard this well-known story, that’s truly a pity.”

The two returned to the clearance store just as Zhou Zhexiao took a long stride and entered.

Xia Chiyi and Ye Chaoying had no choice but to follow.

The shopkeeper, a middle-aged man, was casually crossing his legs, head down, playing a card game on his phone, not even glancing at them.

He didn’t look like a struggling factory worker forced to close up—not even bothering to act the part. Definitely a poor performance.

Xia Chiyi lightly tugged at the hem of Zhou Zhexiao’s T-shirt and whispered, “What kind of clothes do you like? Let me know. We can buy from the official online flagship stores—not only are they authentic, but there are discounts too.”

“No brands.”

Zhou Zhexiao stood in front of a shirt modeled after a famous brand, staring at the iconic pattern for a long time.

“Don’t look—it's missing a leaf,” Xia Chiyi whispered.

The genuine item has a four-leaf clover; this knockoff only has three leaves.

“Hmm.”

Zhou Zhexiao patiently browsed the store, tall with long arms, easily pulling down a dusty T-shirt hanging high.

“This style is so old-fashioned, even my grandpa wouldn’t wear this to play croquet,” Ye Chaoying commented.

Zhou Zhexiao said nothing, dusted off the shirt, and went to pay.

Xia Chiyi and Ye Chaoying exchanged glances.

“I can’t picture him wearing that grandpa shirt,” Ye Chaoying said.

“Maybe he just wants to experience shopping in a clearance store,” Xia Chiyi replied.

As Zhou Zhexiao reached for cash, the shopkeeper, still without looking up, pointed to a QR code on the counter. “Scan to pay—29 yuan. I don’t have change for 50.”

[Author’s note]

Xia Chiyi: Honestly, what exactly do you do online?

Zhou Zhexiao: Flirt with the coach.

Xia Chiyi: Wow, flirting with me wasn’t enough, now you’re after the coach too? Then why buy that grandpa shirt? For the coach?

Zhou Zhexiao: To get an autograph and exchange for money.

Xia Chiyi: Zhou Zhexiao, you’re way too arrogant. How much is your name really worth?

Zhou Zhexiao: I’ll sign for Sheng Xingming. As long as there’s money, I’ll even sign “May you prosper.”